"Star Trek Into Darkness" opened atop the U.S. box office, though its debut didn't quite make the jump to warp speed that Paramount Pictures executives expected.

"Into Darkness," the second J.J. Abrams-directed installment in the long-running science-fiction franchise, took in $70.55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates, bringing its total take to $84 million. The movie launched Wednesday in 336 IMAX locations before opening wide Thursday.

The overall total, while healthy, was $16 million less than what Paramount, which co-financed the film with Skydance Productions, had...

Paramount Pictures isn't the only company that stands to get a lift from "Star Trek's" anticipated box office success this weekend.

San Francisco-based Dolby Laboratories is hoping "Star Trek into Darkness" will propel its newest sound system, Dolby Atmos, to a new frontier. 

Introduced a year ago, Dolby Atmos is billed as the next generation in sound in cinema, giving sound experts the ability to easily place or move specific sounds, such as a rain drop or a gust of wind, anywhere in the theater.

More than 40 titles have been mixed with Dolby Atmos, which has been used by such filmmakers as...

Iron Man performed a superheroic feat at the box office this week, and now Superman and Wolverine may be trembling in their boots.

The first of the summer superhero films to hit the multiplex, "Iron Man 3" on Thursday crossed the $1 billion milestone after 23 days at the global box office, according to distributor Walt Disney Studios. The film starring Robert Downey Jr. becomes the 16th movie ever to join the elite $1 billion club -- six of which were released by Disney.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Billion Dollar Box Office Club

The Marvel Studios-produced film also passed an important mark...

“Star Trek Into Darkness” grossed $13.5 million during its first day in U.S. theaters Thursday, putting it on track to approach $100 million at the domestic box office by the end of this weekend, according to studio estimates. The take includes $3.5 million from Thursday midnight screenings and late-night IMAX shows on Wednesday. The movie, budgeted at an estimated $190 million, opened on 3,762 screens, 336 of them IMAX 3D.

Paramount Pictures expects "Into Darkness" to surpass J.J. Abrams’ 2009 "Star Trek" reboot, particularly overseas, where the film franchise, which now...

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Facebook's initial public offering, a milestone that often prompts reflection and introspection.

And in the case of Rupert Murdoch, the occasion provided an opportunity for a nanny-nanny-nah-nah tweet:

"Look out Facebook! Hours spent participating per member dropping seriously. First really bad sign as seen by crappy MySpace years ago," Murdoch wrote on his Twitter account late Thursday night.

VIDEO: Fall 2013 TV trailers

Of course, Murdoch was famously burned after jumping in and snatching Myspace for $580 million in 2005, thwarting competing media...

Prospect Park, the Century City-based entertainment company, in just two weeks has learned a valuable lesson in online viewing behavior.

The production company launched Internet versions of the former ABC soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" on April 29, figuring loyal fans of the long-running dramas would show up in droves and become addicted once again.

Viewers showed up all right, but they didn't watch the soaps in the manner that Prospect Park had hoped.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

"We are posting too many episodes and making it far too challenging for viewers to keep...

After the coffee. Before the flight back to Los Angeles.

The Skinny: Finally heading home after a week and a half in New York. Hope my cats remember me and didn't tear our place up. Friday's headlines include the weekend box-office preview, some thoughts on the network upfronts and ESPN's deal for the U.S. Open. And don't forget, if you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please send me a note.

Daily Dose:The producers of Thursday's final episode of "The Office" must have wanted to make sure there wasn't any loose change left in the show's budget. Pricey...

Buoyed by the billion-dollar box-office blockbusters “Skyfall” and “The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey,” MGM Holdings Inc., the parent of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., posted first-quarter net income of $57.4 million.

That was more than double than the $23.3-million net income figure the Beverly Hills-based company reported a year earlier.

The privately held film and television company said in a filing on its website that it had posted revenue of $481.7 million for the three-month period that ended March 31 — a sizable increase over the $179.5 million taken in during...

Director Guillermo del Toro crowed about the enduring value of movie theaters this week, reminding television advertising executives gathered in New York that there is no substitute for the big screen.

Speaking to a standing-room only crowd of more than 700 advertising and media professionals at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square on Wednesday, Del Toro presented footage from his upcoming science fiction film "Pacific Rim" and shared childhood memories about going to the cinema.

“I think that it is very important for us to remember why we go to the theater — what makes the experience...

After holding serve for 45 years, CBS has lost the rights to the nation's premier tennis tournament.

ESPN on Thursday said it has clinched an 11-year deal with the United States Tennis Assn. for the exclusive TV rights, beginning in 2015, for the annual U.S. Open tennis tournament. ESPN declined to comment on speculation that it shelled out close to $75 million annually for the rights, a steep increase from what the USTA had been getting in its previous contract. 

The U.S. Open is one of the sport's four Grand Slam tournaments and a celebrated event that unfolds over two weeks in late summer...

The "Star Trek" movie series has lived long at the box office. But is it time for Captain Kirk and Spock to really prosper?

"Star Trek Into Darkness," the second J.J. Abrams-directed installment in the science-fiction franchise, debuted in a handful of theaters late Wednesday evening and has since collected $3.3 million, according to an estimate from distributor Paramount Pictures. The movie launched at 8 p.m. in 336 IMAX locations, because 30 minutes of the film was shot on IMAX cameras.

The picture is expected to rake in about $20 million by the end of Thursday. By Sunday, those who have...